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The Portuguese, who prides himself on unchanged line-ups and thin squads, has utilised 25 different players in just 12 games this season and still seems unsure of his best line-up.

It seems a lifetime ago that he threw the rusty Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Jesse Lingard in at the deep end in the Manchester derby; neither player has truly recovered since.

Then, just as it looked like he had found the right combination after dropping captain Wayne Rooney against Leicester City, Mourinho brought Marouane Fellaini back in from the cold.

It may seem that the Portuguese is being unpredictable for the sake of it but to be fair to Fellaini, the Belgian was the first name on Mourinho's team sheet in August.

Given his aerial abilities, too, his recall against Liverpool was not much of a surprise.

Ashley Young, on the other hand, had not started a Premier League game for eight months.

Even though that game was a win at Anfield, his inclusion still came as a big shock.

Ashley Young was bizarrely played as a false nine against Spurs by Louis van Gaal

The 31-year-old, after all, became a favourite of Mourinho's predecessor, Louis van Gaal, because of his versatility.

The image of Young playing as a false nine against Spurs will live long in the memory.

Mourinho, in contrast, wants specialists and while Young's days may have once appeared numbered, he has quickly won the Portuguese around and proved a more reliable option than the flashier Adnan Januzaj and Memphis Depay.

The Englishman has not missed one training session under Mourinho and, as one of the club's few veterans, is a popular dressing room figure.

It may be tempting to suggest that his best days are behind him, but he has the selflessness and dedication that could see him become Mourinho's go-to man.

Despite only having 111 minutes under his belt this season, Young gave an assured performance against Liverpool.

Shielding left-back Daley Blind, the winger helped nullify the threat of Liverpool danger man Sadio Mane and was arguably United's best player in the first-half.

Ashley Young gave an assured performance against Liverpool

As well as tracking back to support the Dutchman, including a brilliant last-ditch tackle on Nathaniel Clyne, Young also delivered one of the crosses of the match - which unnerved goalkeeper Loris Karius.

Perhaps, given his lack of match sharpness, it should not come as a surprise that his influence tailed off in the second-half but it was telling that Mourinho did not take him off until the final seconds of the game.

Just as Sir Alex Ferguson relied on Park Ji-Sung in big games, Young may prove the unlikely hero Mourinho can come to rely on.